Dubbo Zoo—tracking the trails with African safari

As two cheetahs come out from their tall grassy hideouts, anxious crowd waiting for their glimpse loudly jeers. Acknowledging the applause, the cats go for a couple of short sprints to reveal their speedy talents. The enthusiastic cats then climb a set of rocks to offer the spectators a grand and uninterrupted view. I’m in the gathering as well. The splendor of the cats takes my breath away. I am taken aback by the magnificence of their orange coloured slim bodies dotted with numerous black spots. Like models, they kept twisting their figures, allowing keen photographers to capture their small round head from different angles. Verbal expressions like “wow”, “awesome” and “nice” kept echoing along with the sounds of camera clicks.

It was an experience similar to that of when we came across a lion family—male, female and their three cubs having quality family time. At one point, when the naughty cubs were fighting among themselves, the male, easily recognised by its mane, roared perhaps to discipline the kids. That explosive noise made the nearby deer bell, crows caw, elephants trumpet, birds screech, wild dogs howl and small kids in the crowd cry.

It’s not unusual to think by now that I am on a wildlife safari trip in Africa chasing animals on an open savannah. Not really! I am essentially encountering this rousing wildlife in Dubbo at Taronga Western Plain Zoo, tucked in the Great Western Plains region of New South Wales in Australia.

For local Aussies and hordes of international visitors who haven’t embarked on a wildlife adventure at a natural sanctuary in Africa, venturing into this 300 ha landscape of rugged bushland and tall grasses is a unique and unforgettable experience. The sights, sounds and smell of the region donates some resemblance with Africa and even with taste too, which we enjoyed while trying game-meat delicacies at the Zoofari Lodge, an intimate retreat inside the zoo that offers a personal and comfy African safari style experience.

We always wanted to see wild animals in their own natural domain, so this was an experience that we will never forget. Many of the other visitors expressed similar feelings. I have personally explored many game reserves in Africa and India and surely at times my memories of Serengeti or Amboseli National Parks come alive. With imagination wide open, one can possibly ignite here their inner Meryl Streep and Robert Redford enthusiasm as seen in the Hollywood blockbuster “Out of Africa”, particularly when staying at the Zoofari lodge, where guests wake up with the sounds of a lion roaring and find a tall giraffe grazing just outside their cottage.

The notion of wildlife and humans can share this planet inspired the establishment of this open plan zoo in 1977, which was one of a kind. It commenced journey with 35 species; now it boasts of an animal collection of around thousand with their roots in five different continents.
This zoo is well-reputed globally for its conservation schemes, breeding agenda, particularly of endangered species like black rhinos, so that they always feel they are living safely in their own habitant; educational schedule and utmost care for its residents. These are major contributing factors for coming across an excellent wildlife experience here.

A 6 km circuit meanders through natural bushland and around the large open style exhibits. There are no cages, iron rods or cemented slabs; unobtrusive fencing has been placed smartly and moats and lakes have been used to create a covert barrier between the exhibits and viewers. This creates a pseudo dint of being face to face with wild animals as in any wildlife reserve where generally you get a view from open safari vehicles.

I came across almost every species that I have glimpsed in Africa—from giraffes, zebras, buffaloes and hippos to rhinos, elephants, cheetahs and pride of lions. In Africa, I couldn’t spot black rhinos as they have now become very rare. Earlier at Ranthambore National Park in India, I was lucky enough to spot Royal Bengal tigers. However, here at a close range, I spotted a large Sumatran tiger, a truly endangered species.

Opportunities for photography are admirable.

I captured many worthy wildlife moments like the playing of a lion clan, splashing of a Sumatran tiger in the water, bonding episodes of two elephants, hippos taking an afternoon nap and the idle rhinos grazing most generously, zebras, buffalos, elands and giraffes. It’s really captivating to frame a picture of two giraffes aiming for the same food high in the trees.

A highlight of the odyssey here is the opportunity of gathering knowledge about the animals. The rangers, generally during the pre-set feeding times, provide interesting facts regarding animals of the zoo like their habits, gestation periods, behaviours, and many such information which is generally unknown. It needs to be mentioned that the facts come in very simple, easy to understand language, which even a kid can understand.

I learned many things like how to identify different rhino species, i.e., black and white, difference between African elephants with height of almost double-decker bus and their much smaller Asian counterparts. It was quite weird to learn how a lioness hunts and feeds the entire family while the lion does nothing but mating, eating and resting. The poaching figures of elephants and rhinos surely generate anger and the urge not to buy anything that’s made of ivory, rhino horn or tiger skin. One activity that many love doing in such reserves is feeding some of the animals personally. It’s possible to feed carrots to the giraffes or put a piece of meat inside the hungry tiger’s mouth, surely not using hands, but a piece of tong.

There are various ways of exploring the area. Walking or bike riding are the obvious choice of the energetic, while you can also comfortably drive around in your own car or even trundle on an electric driven cart.

However, it doesn’t matter which path you follow, the ultimate result is an exciting and fun-filled time.

Fact Box

Getting there: Cathay Pacific along with Dragon Air offers regular flights from a number of Indian cities, via Hong Kong to Sydney from where Dubbo is around 400 km away in the north west direction. You can also opt for air, rail and road connections between Sydney and Dubbo as there are good options. Rex Airline (www.rex.com.au) has 1 hour 10m flights daily while a 6.5 hour XPT train service (www.nswtrainlink.info) from Sydney Central station offers visitors a vista of Great Western Plains of NSW.

Accommodation: You can opt for the Zoofari Lodge, which offers a personal and comfy African safari style experience. Alternatively, at the Dubbo city centre, which is located less than 5 km from the zoo, there are a range of good motels available at very reasonable prices.

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Dubbo Zoo—tracking the trails with African safari

As two cheetahs come out from their tall grassy hideouts, anxious crowd waiting for their glimpse loudly jeers. Acknowledging the applause, the cats go for a couple of short sprints to reveal their sp...